WI the French Revolutionary calendar stuck

No weeks. Pretty huge.
In theory, more working days per year. We are so used to the week system that it is hard to predict the effects, but I suppose that the reduced unitary productivity derived from the lack of rest may more than compensate the added working time. Said lack of rest might also cause more dissatisfaction among workers (it appears to have been a serious problem in Revolutionary France).
Also, IIRC, no leap years. They'd have to invent something to adjust the calendar to astronomical realities in the long run. The months' names would sound odd with climates different than France's but that's not a problem (month names from September to December bear an etymological relationship with Latin numerals that is still very apparent in Romance languages; but of course, the numeral in their name and their order confusingly don't correspond. We use those names regardless).

It's not like they had a five day work week and unions to enforce it in the 18th century.

Also September still corresponds as the seventh month from the start of the year when you start the year quite sensibly with a new season, ie in spring.
 
It's not like they had a five day work week and unions to enforce it in the 18th century.

Also September still corresponds as the seventh month from the start of the year when you start the year quite sensibly with a new season, ie in spring.
It was in 153 BCE that the ancient Romans moved the start of the year from 1 March to 1 January, but the previous names of the months mostly stayed the same, thus the names of those unrenamed months (unlike e.g. July and August, which were later on renamed in honor of IVLIVS CAESAR and AVGVSTVS respectively) no longer made sense. 1 March was once again the New Year in the Most Serene Republic of Venice while England had 25 March as the New Year date until 1752.
 
Last edited:
Also, IIRC, no leap years. They'd have to invent something to adjust the calendar to astronomical realities in the long run.

The Republican Calendar was perfectly adjusted to astronomy. Each month had 30 days; there were 5 additional days, and 1 additional day every four years (I suspect with the same rules the Gregorian calendar uses for leap years).
 
Md13911 makes an excellent point about the incompatibility of the Republican calendar and the Christian calendar. I wonder if the Republican calendar was abandoned as part of Napoleon's program of semi-reconciliation with the Catholic church?

The counter-argument is that things you think would be as big a deal, such as civil divorce, survived. Also, Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries seem to manage with their religious day being on a weekday. The Christian churches could adapt to staying on the seven day cycle by doing things like moving the weekly religious service to the evenings, with another in the early mornings. Christian churches both have evening services and weekday services at present. Also making less of a deal of regular church attendance, which seems to have been more of a Protestant thing anyway. And many church holidays move around now anyway. I always get the date of Pentacost screwed up because popular culture ignores it and it moves around. One of the most important Christian observances of the year, Good Friday, is always on a weekday, as is Ash Wednesday, and churchgoers manage.
 
The Republican Calendar was perfectly adjusted to astronomy. Each month had 30 days; there were 5 additional days, and 1 additional day every four years (I suspect with the same rules the Gregorian calendar uses for leap years).
I was under the impression that leap years were not a thing. I stand corrected.
 
Top